For some people the Christmas season can bring sadness and in some cases great sadness. This phenomenon has always been recognized. Recently more is being done to recognize the situation and deal with it in a formal public way.
For some people this time of year brings stress and with that stress a degree of sadness. There is a tremendous hype related to Christmas. We have various gatherings to celebrate and enjoy the season. Some people may have difficulties financially because of obligations they feel they have to make. With all the celebrating going on it is more difficult to cope when one is really sad.
Some people have lost a very significant person in their life and when the Christmas season arrives they are brutally reminded of their loss. In my previous post I told how Mike had dropped in and we talked about his wife and what they would be doing if she was still here. Mike is missing Eileen terribly at this time of year. This is the second Christmas for another friend whose husband died in July of 2009. Christmas is a sad time as she is reminded again of her loss.
Some churches now have a Blue Christmas service for those who celebrate in a religious way. It helps when people with common situations can come together and formally observe their loss. The rest of us have to be mindful of those who have experienced losses recently and speak about the person who has died.
Other people are advised to try to think not so much of themselves but concentrate on other activities. This is extremely difficult to do but it will work as if one takes the self out of the situation they may be able to concentrate on the joy involved in the season.
One of my fellow bloggers has shared the story that they do not celebrate Christmas. The lack of celebration allows one member of the family to cope and not suffer severe depression. They are much happier because of the change.
The song " I'm having a blue Christmas without You" certainly expresses the feeling that people can be sad at this time of year. I like Elvis's version best. I can't find when the song was originally written, but many people have recorded a version.
I have never recognized a blue Christmas in myself, but I think some seasons have been less happier than others.
So to those who are down at this time of year, there are people who are aware of your pain and wish that things could be better. Let me know if you have had a blue Christmas and what can be done to help a person during this season.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Christmas Food
Last evening my friend Mike dropped in for a visit. Mike lost his wife in May and we got talking about the food they prepared for Christmas. He mentioned how they worked together to make lifte. I had never heard of lifte and was too embarrassed to ask him what it was. I went to wikipedia this morning to check. So lifte is a Norwegian flat bread. There are several different recipes for it and it is made by several ethnic groups. The preparation and baking of this food is some what involved. Eileen prepared the batter and did the rolling and Mike did the cooking. A special flat type of skillet is used for the cooking. In the old days of wood cook stoves the batter was cooked directly on the stove surface. I have never eaten lifte, but now I'm looking forward to trying some.
When I went to highschool 75% of my classmates were Mennonite. Mennonites make something which is special called pfeffernusse which were roughly called pepper nuts in English. . It's a small ball shaped cookie which has ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper. All the kids would bring pepper nuts to school and trade them. Each of their mothers had a little different recipe so that was the reason for exchanging. They were very kind and supplied me with these treats. I've never forgotten how they shared this special Christmas treat with me.
One seventh grade boy I taught raved about "holy bolley" . I'm not sure how it's spelled and he didn't know either. I also tried to search on the net for this so obviously my spelling isn't even close. He described the goody which he made with his grandpa. I'm sure that for this boy the enjoyment was from working with grandpa to make the special Christmas goody that they shared with family and friends.
A grade seven girl I taught was a very able baker. At Christmas time she would have a little bag of baked goods that she would give to each of her teachers. I will never forget the look in her eyes as she would give these bags of Christmas baking to her teachers. She truly experienced the wonderful feeling of giving. For the next two years I was remembered at Christmas with wonderful treats this girl baked and gave to us.
Now I know that there must be thousands of Christmas cook books. Ethnic communities that celebrate Christmas have their special recipes. Any Granny who celebrates Christmas probably has a thousand good recipes in her head. One of the ways we celebrate Christmas is through food we share with one another.
Now if my daughter was in on this topic she would go into great historical detail as to the origins of each food and the symbolic meaning. There's so much more than just the eating of good food.
I hope you are able to enjoy the good Christmas food and also partake in the meaning of sharing these seasonal foods.
When I went to highschool 75% of my classmates were Mennonite. Mennonites make something which is special called pfeffernusse which were roughly called pepper nuts in English. . It's a small ball shaped cookie which has ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper. All the kids would bring pepper nuts to school and trade them. Each of their mothers had a little different recipe so that was the reason for exchanging. They were very kind and supplied me with these treats. I've never forgotten how they shared this special Christmas treat with me.
One seventh grade boy I taught raved about "holy bolley" . I'm not sure how it's spelled and he didn't know either. I also tried to search on the net for this so obviously my spelling isn't even close. He described the goody which he made with his grandpa. I'm sure that for this boy the enjoyment was from working with grandpa to make the special Christmas goody that they shared with family and friends.
A grade seven girl I taught was a very able baker. At Christmas time she would have a little bag of baked goods that she would give to each of her teachers. I will never forget the look in her eyes as she would give these bags of Christmas baking to her teachers. She truly experienced the wonderful feeling of giving. For the next two years I was remembered at Christmas with wonderful treats this girl baked and gave to us.
Now I know that there must be thousands of Christmas cook books. Ethnic communities that celebrate Christmas have their special recipes. Any Granny who celebrates Christmas probably has a thousand good recipes in her head. One of the ways we celebrate Christmas is through food we share with one another.
Now if my daughter was in on this topic she would go into great historical detail as to the origins of each food and the symbolic meaning. There's so much more than just the eating of good food.
I hope you are able to enjoy the good Christmas food and also partake in the meaning of sharing these seasonal foods.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My Changing Christmas Celebrations
I have more or less celebrated 70 Christmas's! The 71st is coming right up.
When I say Christmas celebration I mean the activities which take place on the 25th.
Let's back way up to before my first Christmas. My mother lived in her parents home until she married my Dad. She was used to her mother's English influenced Christmas day activities. My Dad had wandered during the depression and probably spent the day in a variety of ways. Christmas day seemed to have not been a big issue with Dad except for the Christmas goose. I'm quite sure that my mother went back the 800km to her mother's for the first few Christmas's. Fortunately my Mom's cousin lived on the neighboring farm and a tradition grew where they alternated hosting the Christmas day activities.
To be honest I don't remember Christmas until I would have been about five. Santa Claus was a big issue and opening presents Christmas morning was an exciting event. We received gifts from our maternal grandparents and aunts and uncles. Many times we received used items but we were still very excited about the gifts we received. I remember getting a pocket watch. Grandpa had attached some kind of leather strap and the watch was kept in my pocket. The watch didn't work but I could turn the hands. I was very proud of this watch.
When we spent the day with cousin's we had the feast at noon. This fitted farmers who travelled with horses and sleigh. We had a tremendous meal. Turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy , vegetables, stuffing, mince pie, and Christmas pudding. The afternoon was spent playing games or if the weather was nice we played outside in the snow. For the evening meal we had cold cuts from the left over of the noon meal. We continued fun stuff during the evening. About midnight another hearty lunch was had. There were lots of Christmas baking items to sample. It was really a day of great eats.
My paternal grandparents lived in the local village. Their house did not have electricity , water or sewage. We would take a gift into them a week or two before Christmas. Mom had usually knitted a pair of mitts or socks for Grandpa. As soon as we gave the gift to Grandpa he would open it. He was pleased to receive something and thanked us. As little kids we were horrified that he didn't wait to open his gift until Christmas.
Once I finished high school and left home I came back home for Christmas, but tended to spend much of the day with some of my buddies. I then went to the Arctic and this was the first Christmas I spent away from home. Fortunately I was with a number of other single people and we made a very nice Christmas dinner for ourselves. The Christmas morning I spent going around and visiting couples who had children.
Then I married. The first couple of Christmas's we went to my parents . The menu was still the same but without the cousins. Now there were my brother's and there little children.
When my children were born we lived 700km away from my parents. We went there for Christmas twice,. My Mother died and after that we spent Christmas on our own. My wife's English influence took over so the menu changed a bit but was still top notch.
My children were the excited little beaners who loved early morning gift opening. My children became teenagers and spent most of the day with friends . The day consisted of many visits with the kids and their friends.
Both my kids left home. My son spent a couple of Christmas 's with us and then made his Christmas on his own. My daughter spent most Christmas's with us and we also at her place. Now my daughter is 2000km away. She's invited us for Christmas but we decided not to go. We will celebrate alone but it's not our first Christmas by ourselves. In the Arctic we spent Christmas alone and thoroughly enjoyed the season and day.
I think if my grandchildren came with gifts today I might be tempted to open them on the spot. I guess things have come full circle.
So my 71 Christmas's have been all treasured. They have changed gradually because of my change in life. They have also changed because we as a society have changed.
I also realize that there are many ways that families celebrate the day. The celebration is influenced by our family and the origin of that family.
What are your traditions of celebration? I hope all your Christmas days have been happy.
When I say Christmas celebration I mean the activities which take place on the 25th.
Let's back way up to before my first Christmas. My mother lived in her parents home until she married my Dad. She was used to her mother's English influenced Christmas day activities. My Dad had wandered during the depression and probably spent the day in a variety of ways. Christmas day seemed to have not been a big issue with Dad except for the Christmas goose. I'm quite sure that my mother went back the 800km to her mother's for the first few Christmas's. Fortunately my Mom's cousin lived on the neighboring farm and a tradition grew where they alternated hosting the Christmas day activities.
To be honest I don't remember Christmas until I would have been about five. Santa Claus was a big issue and opening presents Christmas morning was an exciting event. We received gifts from our maternal grandparents and aunts and uncles. Many times we received used items but we were still very excited about the gifts we received. I remember getting a pocket watch. Grandpa had attached some kind of leather strap and the watch was kept in my pocket. The watch didn't work but I could turn the hands. I was very proud of this watch.
When we spent the day with cousin's we had the feast at noon. This fitted farmers who travelled with horses and sleigh. We had a tremendous meal. Turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy , vegetables, stuffing, mince pie, and Christmas pudding. The afternoon was spent playing games or if the weather was nice we played outside in the snow. For the evening meal we had cold cuts from the left over of the noon meal. We continued fun stuff during the evening. About midnight another hearty lunch was had. There were lots of Christmas baking items to sample. It was really a day of great eats.
My paternal grandparents lived in the local village. Their house did not have electricity , water or sewage. We would take a gift into them a week or two before Christmas. Mom had usually knitted a pair of mitts or socks for Grandpa. As soon as we gave the gift to Grandpa he would open it. He was pleased to receive something and thanked us. As little kids we were horrified that he didn't wait to open his gift until Christmas.
Once I finished high school and left home I came back home for Christmas, but tended to spend much of the day with some of my buddies. I then went to the Arctic and this was the first Christmas I spent away from home. Fortunately I was with a number of other single people and we made a very nice Christmas dinner for ourselves. The Christmas morning I spent going around and visiting couples who had children.
Then I married. The first couple of Christmas's we went to my parents . The menu was still the same but without the cousins. Now there were my brother's and there little children.
When my children were born we lived 700km away from my parents. We went there for Christmas twice,. My Mother died and after that we spent Christmas on our own. My wife's English influence took over so the menu changed a bit but was still top notch.
My children were the excited little beaners who loved early morning gift opening. My children became teenagers and spent most of the day with friends . The day consisted of many visits with the kids and their friends.
Both my kids left home. My son spent a couple of Christmas 's with us and then made his Christmas on his own. My daughter spent most Christmas's with us and we also at her place. Now my daughter is 2000km away. She's invited us for Christmas but we decided not to go. We will celebrate alone but it's not our first Christmas by ourselves. In the Arctic we spent Christmas alone and thoroughly enjoyed the season and day.
I think if my grandchildren came with gifts today I might be tempted to open them on the spot. I guess things have come full circle.
So my 71 Christmas's have been all treasured. They have changed gradually because of my change in life. They have also changed because we as a society have changed.
I also realize that there are many ways that families celebrate the day. The celebration is influenced by our family and the origin of that family.
What are your traditions of celebration? I hope all your Christmas days have been happy.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Really Cool Volunteer Position
Last night I volunteered at the Red Deer College Arts Center for front of house duties. A blogger commented that this sounded like a cool volunteer position as I had described a concert held there last night. I began thinking about this and yes it's a great fun position.
The Red Deer College Arts Center was built about twenty years ago to function as a teaching facility for the Red Deer College theatre program and as a community theatre. It was a state of the art design and had all the bells and whistles. A very large entry was constructed and this was well appointed with a variety of excellent art. This entry also had room for the coat check and food and beverage service. In the house there are almost 550 seats. The front rows of seats can be removed so that it leaves room for an orchestra and orchrestra pit. The stage is well equipped so that it can be adapted for many types of presentations. There is a tower over part of the stage so that various parts of sets can be dropped into place and then pulled up for storage. Behind the stage is a costume producing room with the necessary sewing equipment.
About half of the productions are done by college classes both musical and theatre. Out of town performers can book the theatre. The local symphony plays all their performances in the arts center.
So I am able to volunteer in a superb facility with pretty interesting performances. You'll never be bored as there is such a wide variety of shows you can watch . We don't see all performances, but you certainly see enough to be well satisfied. This position is a great balance for some of the heavier volunteer Since our community is about 100 000, there are a percentage of patrons that I know so it is an excellent time to meet and greet neighbors and acquaintances.
Front of house jobs are usher, ticket taker, program "hander outer", coat check and bar and food service. We are rotated so that we do a variety of jobs.
When I stop and think about it, it really is a cool place to volunteer
The Red Deer College Arts Center was built about twenty years ago to function as a teaching facility for the Red Deer College theatre program and as a community theatre. It was a state of the art design and had all the bells and whistles. A very large entry was constructed and this was well appointed with a variety of excellent art. This entry also had room for the coat check and food and beverage service. In the house there are almost 550 seats. The front rows of seats can be removed so that it leaves room for an orchestra and orchrestra pit. The stage is well equipped so that it can be adapted for many types of presentations. There is a tower over part of the stage so that various parts of sets can be dropped into place and then pulled up for storage. Behind the stage is a costume producing room with the necessary sewing equipment.
About half of the productions are done by college classes both musical and theatre. Out of town performers can book the theatre. The local symphony plays all their performances in the arts center.
So I am able to volunteer in a superb facility with pretty interesting performances. You'll never be bored as there is such a wide variety of shows you can watch . We don't see all performances, but you certainly see enough to be well satisfied. This position is a great balance for some of the heavier volunteer Since our community is about 100 000, there are a percentage of patrons that I know so it is an excellent time to meet and greet neighbors and acquaintances.
Front of house jobs are usher, ticket taker, program "hander outer", coat check and bar and food service. We are rotated so that we do a variety of jobs.
When I stop and think about it, it really is a cool place to volunteer
Friday, December 10, 2010
Today's School Christmas Concert
Last evening I was occupied by one of my volunteer activities...front of house duty for the local Arts Center. Being December many school Christmas concerts are held in this fine facility. So I thought back to my previous post of the Christmas concerts put on in days gone by.
Last night one of the local high schools put on their concert.The concert was made up of a offering of their choral groups and various bands.
First, they had the choral group and jazz choir perform.
Next, the grade nine band and jazz band strutted their stuff.
After the intermission the heavies took the stage...the symphonic winds band. A dance group performed one number with the band. For a finale the band and choral groups performed together. The house was packed with admiring parents and excited students were pacing around the building. Both groups had a right to be excited and proud. It even infected me!
These kids put on a fine performance of seasonal and non seasonal music. The students have been in a band program for three years before they hit high school so they have experience to work with. The musicianship is of high quality. Music teachers are much more highly qualified as they are very active in professional development. A very active parents group assists the music program.
Of course along with the hype there were all kinds of draws made after people laid down their cash for "winning tickets."
So hats off to all the enthusiastic young performers, teachers and parents. You are doing a fine job.
Last night one of the local high schools put on their concert.The concert was made up of a offering of their choral groups and various bands.
First, they had the choral group and jazz choir perform.
Next, the grade nine band and jazz band strutted their stuff.
After the intermission the heavies took the stage...the symphonic winds band. A dance group performed one number with the band. For a finale the band and choral groups performed together. The house was packed with admiring parents and excited students were pacing around the building. Both groups had a right to be excited and proud. It even infected me!
These kids put on a fine performance of seasonal and non seasonal music. The students have been in a band program for three years before they hit high school so they have experience to work with. The musicianship is of high quality. Music teachers are much more highly qualified as they are very active in professional development. A very active parents group assists the music program.
Of course along with the hype there were all kinds of draws made after people laid down their cash for "winning tickets."
So hats off to all the enthusiastic young performers, teachers and parents. You are doing a fine job.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Old Time Christmas Concerts in One Room Country Schools
Yes, I am old enough to have been in a Christmas concert in a one room country school. In fact, I performed in eight Christmas concerts.
One of my fellow bloggers has touched on these concerts. I like reading local histories. The local history from my area is full of comments about school Christmas concerts. People have many reasons for looking back at these performances with nostalgia. For many kids the evening was extremely exciting. Others took great pleasure in their performances. Others liked the activity of preparing for the concert. Some teachers were masters in producing an excellent concert and getting amazing performances from young kids. Many teachable moments occurred during the preparation for these concerts. Kids learned music, set design, dance, acting and a ton of self discipline. Kids gained confidence from performing in front of an audience. Kids received positive feedback. As a result of the good old school concert much learning and growth took place. The teacher probably aged prematurely.
My memories of school Christmas concerts is pretty sparse. I remember being in a small "drill " with my brother when we were in grade one and two. We were in elf costumes that were made from construction paper. Brown paper shoes and green hats. When our spot was on the concert we went out and the music played. During the performance one of us stepped on a thumb tack. We stopped. One little fellow raised his foot and the other took out the tack and then we continued. The piano player had to adjust and play a few more bars for us to complete our routine. Our parents to their deaths always remembered and laughed about our performance. Parents were always excited and proud of their childrens' performance.
Other things I remember is that regular classes ceased during the three or four weeks of preparation. Sometimes it was boring as the teacher worked with other kids practising their parts. Sometimes I got into trouble while having nothing to keep me occupied.
Now I was also old enough to teach in a one room country school. I went out to teach in an isolated school before I had my nineteenth birthday. There were ten students in this school. I knew that parents expected the teacher to put on a Christmas concert. I was petrified as had not a clue what to do and had little talent in music and performance. The school board was wise and extremely thoughtful. They came to me well before concert time and said let's not have a concert. We would rather have the kids stick to the curriculum. Whew!!! They decided to have a little celebration the last afternoon of school. They brought lots of goodies and made a big boiler of coffee. All parents and preschool children attended as well as some people in the district who did not have children in the school. The kids exchanged gifts and were given gifts from the school board. Everybody had a great time and went home happy. It would have been very difficult to put on a concert as out of the ten kids three of them were grade one. The teacher in Louisville school in 1958-59(me) learned more than any student that year. These people also gave me so much support that I decided to return to university and get a teaching degree.
So my Christmas concert experience was from two points of view. I know that I enjoyed both sides of the fence and learned from my experience. I also have some very pleasant memories to look back on.
Please feel free to tell me about your Christmas concert experiences. I'd love to hear about them.
One of my fellow bloggers has touched on these concerts. I like reading local histories. The local history from my area is full of comments about school Christmas concerts. People have many reasons for looking back at these performances with nostalgia. For many kids the evening was extremely exciting. Others took great pleasure in their performances. Others liked the activity of preparing for the concert. Some teachers were masters in producing an excellent concert and getting amazing performances from young kids. Many teachable moments occurred during the preparation for these concerts. Kids learned music, set design, dance, acting and a ton of self discipline. Kids gained confidence from performing in front of an audience. Kids received positive feedback. As a result of the good old school concert much learning and growth took place. The teacher probably aged prematurely.
My memories of school Christmas concerts is pretty sparse. I remember being in a small "drill " with my brother when we were in grade one and two. We were in elf costumes that were made from construction paper. Brown paper shoes and green hats. When our spot was on the concert we went out and the music played. During the performance one of us stepped on a thumb tack. We stopped. One little fellow raised his foot and the other took out the tack and then we continued. The piano player had to adjust and play a few more bars for us to complete our routine. Our parents to their deaths always remembered and laughed about our performance. Parents were always excited and proud of their childrens' performance.
Other things I remember is that regular classes ceased during the three or four weeks of preparation. Sometimes it was boring as the teacher worked with other kids practising their parts. Sometimes I got into trouble while having nothing to keep me occupied.
Now I was also old enough to teach in a one room country school. I went out to teach in an isolated school before I had my nineteenth birthday. There were ten students in this school. I knew that parents expected the teacher to put on a Christmas concert. I was petrified as had not a clue what to do and had little talent in music and performance. The school board was wise and extremely thoughtful. They came to me well before concert time and said let's not have a concert. We would rather have the kids stick to the curriculum. Whew!!! They decided to have a little celebration the last afternoon of school. They brought lots of goodies and made a big boiler of coffee. All parents and preschool children attended as well as some people in the district who did not have children in the school. The kids exchanged gifts and were given gifts from the school board. Everybody had a great time and went home happy. It would have been very difficult to put on a concert as out of the ten kids three of them were grade one. The teacher in Louisville school in 1958-59(me) learned more than any student that year. These people also gave me so much support that I decided to return to university and get a teaching degree.
So my Christmas concert experience was from two points of view. I know that I enjoyed both sides of the fence and learned from my experience. I also have some very pleasant memories to look back on.
Please feel free to tell me about your Christmas concert experiences. I'd love to hear about them.
Monday, December 6, 2010
I Hear Christmas Music
Yesterday it hit me that some Christmas music was being played. I was listening to Vinyl Cafe on CBC when Stuart McLean came on and talked about the Huron Carol which is a favorite of his and one he always plays on his show. He also played Jingle Bell Rock and then it hit me Christmas Music!!!!
I never listen to commercial radio so Christmas music is not in my face. I had been the grocery store a few days ago and there was seasonal music playing. Christmas music was also playing at a volunteer party I attended.
I listen to CKUA which is a listener sponsored radio...no commercials. They specialize in playing a wide variety of music and have information to go along with it. Tonight I was listening to "Roy's Record Room" This guy plays music from 78's and gives very interesting background on the music and performers. Tonight he gave great detail about the well known "Baby It's Cold Outside." Many performers have recorded this tune. It was first written as a party tune for one party. Others picked it up and sang it. Tonight Roy played two versions ...one buy Homer and Jethro with June Carter...was very enjoyable.
I enjoy Christmas music as well as many other types of music. I have Christmas tapes but guess what? I don't have a tape deck in the house that works any more. I also have LPs and the same situation...no working turntable. I'm pretty sure Santa is bringing me an ipod so I'll look for Christmas music.
I can't really say that I have one favorite piece of Christmas music as I like such a wide variety. I hope that you will take pleasure in listening to what ever Christmas music that you like. Let me know what you like listening to. I could stand learning about some music I've not heard before. And by the way check out CKUA . It's on the net
I never listen to commercial radio so Christmas music is not in my face. I had been the grocery store a few days ago and there was seasonal music playing. Christmas music was also playing at a volunteer party I attended.
I listen to CKUA which is a listener sponsored radio...no commercials. They specialize in playing a wide variety of music and have information to go along with it. Tonight I was listening to "Roy's Record Room" This guy plays music from 78's and gives very interesting background on the music and performers. Tonight he gave great detail about the well known "Baby It's Cold Outside." Many performers have recorded this tune. It was first written as a party tune for one party. Others picked it up and sang it. Tonight Roy played two versions ...one buy Homer and Jethro with June Carter...was very enjoyable.
I enjoy Christmas music as well as many other types of music. I have Christmas tapes but guess what? I don't have a tape deck in the house that works any more. I also have LPs and the same situation...no working turntable. I'm pretty sure Santa is bringing me an ipod so I'll look for Christmas music.
I can't really say that I have one favorite piece of Christmas music as I like such a wide variety. I hope that you will take pleasure in listening to what ever Christmas music that you like. Let me know what you like listening to. I could stand learning about some music I've not heard before. And by the way check out CKUA . It's on the net
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